Derivatives and Quantitative Strategist

Gaudenz Schneider

Macroeconomics

<ul>
<li>
Context: Central Bank rate decisions, index changes and political events can move markets and affect volatility. Exchange holidays and option expiration schedules might influence liquidity on these days.</li>
<li>
Highlights: Earnings season keeps several regional markets busy through early to mid-August. Meanwhile, three central banks in the region are scheduled to hold monetary policy meetings spaced across the month.</li>
<li>
Why Read: Plan ahead and take into account known market events when making investment and trading decision.</li>
</ul>



Context: Central Bank rate decisions, index changes and political events can move markets and affect volatility. Exchange holidays and option expiration schedules might influence liquidity on these days.

Highlights: Earnings season keeps several regional markets busy through early to mid-August. Meanwhile, three central banks in the region are scheduled to hold monetary policy meetings spaced across the month.

Why Read: Plan ahead and take into account known market events when making investment and trading decision.


The Month Ahead: Key Events in August 2025

Equity Derivatives

<ul>
<li>
Context: On 23 July 2025, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/toyota-motor-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:73:1" rel="noopener">Toyota Motor (7203 JP)</a> surged 14.3%, driven by macro factors tied to tariffs. This Insight examines how that sharp move affected the stock’s volatility surface.</li>
<li>
Key Observations: Implied volatility spiked to extreme percentiles, with two-week IV hitting the 99th–100th percentile. Skew dynamics show otm calls becoming historically rich relative to puts.</li>
<li>
Opportunity: Elevated implied volatility and historically flat skew present an attractive setup for a zero-cost option strategy.</li>
</ul>



Context: On 23 July 2025, Toyota Motor (7203 JP) surged 14.3%, driven by macro factors tied to tariffs. This Insight examines how that sharp move affected the stock’s volatility surface.

Key Observations: Implied volatility spiked to extreme percentiles, with two-week IV hitting the 99th–100th percentile. Skew dynamics show otm calls becoming historically rich relative to puts.

Opportunity: Elevated implied volatility and historically flat skew present an attractive setup for a zero-cost option strategy.


Toyota (7203 JP) Surges 14% — A Contrarian Option Strategy

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Periscope Analytics

Periscope Analytics focuses on event-driven trades across Asia Pacific and provides comprehensive, timely and systematic coverage of index changes to major Asia Pacific indices in a structured manner.

The analysis includes forecasted inclusions and exclusions to all major Asian indices that have significant amount of tracking assets, including estimates of passive buy/sell flow on the stocks. The service also provides commentary and impact of market consultations, ground rule changes, and other events (IPOs, spin-offs, M&A) that could lead to index changes and passive flow.

Periscope Analytics works with multi-strategy hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, stat arb trading groups and long-only investors that invest and trade in the Asia Pacific region with the data being used to trade index rebalances, avoid pre-positioning and passive flow, and to time entry into and exit from stocks.

Event-Driven Trades Across Asia Pacific

Index Rebalance

Kawasaki Heavy Industries / Index Rebalance

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kawasaki-heavy-industries" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8790:1" rel="noopener">Kawasaki Heavy Industries (7012 JP)</a> stock price has moved higher over the last few months, and the increased market cap should result in global index inclusion in August.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kawasaki-heavy-industries" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8790:1" rel="noopener">Kawasaki Heavy Industries (7012 JP)</a> has underperformed its larger peers, and the stock is trading cheaper than the average of its peers on most metrics. </li>
<li>There will be positioning in the stock that has been built up over the last month and a relative value trade could offer better risk reward here.</li>
</ul>



Kawasaki Heavy Industries (7012 JP) stock price has moved higher over the last few months, and the increased market cap should result in global index inclusion in August.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (7012 JP) has underperformed its larger peers, and the stock is trading cheaper than the average of its peers on most metrics. 
There will be positioning in the stock that has been built up over the last month and a relative value trade could offer better risk reward here.


Kawasaki Heavy (7012 JP): Cheaper than Peers with Index Inclusion Kicker

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ryohin-keikaku-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2765:1" rel="noopener">Ryohin Keikaku (7453 JP)</a>'s stock price has more than doubled this year and the increased market cap could now result in a global index inclusion.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ryohin-keikaku-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2765:1" rel="noopener">Ryohin Keikaku (7453 JP)</a> has outperformed its peers by a BIG margin since its inclusion in the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nikkei-225" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22909:1" rel="noopener">Nikkei 225 (NKY INDEX)</a> in September 2024.</li>
<li>There appears to be significant positioning in the stock. Given the huge outperformance over the last few months, trim into strength.</li>
</ul>



Ryohin Keikaku (7453 JP)'s stock price has more than doubled this year and the increased market cap could now result in a global index inclusion.

Ryohin Keikaku (7453 JP) has outperformed its peers by a BIG margin since its inclusion in the Nikkei 225 (NKY INDEX) in September 2024.
There appears to be significant positioning in the stock. Given the huge outperformance over the last few months, trim into strength.


Ryohin Keikaku (7453 JP): Global Index Inclusion Likely in August

Quantitative Researcher, MRM Research

Nico Rosti

Quantitative Researcher

MRM Research

Quantitative Research

<ul>
<li>A quick synoptic look at the tactical models for some key indices, stocks, commodities and bonds we cover, for the week July 7 - July 11.</li>
<li>Since our <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/global-markets-tactical-outlook-week-of-june-30-july-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Markets WEEKLY Tactical Outlook published last week</a>, US markets became even more overbought by the end of the week, while some Asian  stocks started to pull back. </li>
<li>Stocks are falling on Monday, the Trump administration is threatening imposing 25% tariffs on a number of nations (including Japan and South Korea), global markets may close the week down.
</li>
</ul>


A quick synoptic look at the tactical models for some key indices, stocks, commodities and bonds we cover, for the week July 7 - July 11.
Since our Global Markets WEEKLY Tactical Outlook published last week, US markets became even more overbought by the end of the week, while some Asian  stocks started to pull back. 
Stocks are falling on Monday, the Trump administration is threatening imposing 25% tariffs on a number of nations (including Japan and South Korea), global markets may close the week down.



Global Markets WEEKLY Tactical Outlook: July 7 to July 11

Japan

The Nikkei-225 Stock Average is a price-weighted average of 225 top-rated Japanese companies listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The Nikkei Stock Average was first published on May 16, 1949, where the average price was ¥176.21 with a divisor of 225. 

Nikkei 225 (NKY INDEX)

The Month Ahead: Key Events in August 2025

Three central banks (India, Australia, South Korea) decide on rates. Earnings season continues in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and India, and is...

Gaudenz Schneider

Toyota (7203 JP) Surges 14% — A Contrarian Option Strategy

An opportunity emerges after volatility shifts to extreme levels. Find out how implied volatility reacted to the recent rally and explore a zero...

Gaudenz Schneider

Kawasaki Heavy (7012 JP): Cheaper than Peers with Index Inclusion Kicker

Kawasaki Heavy should be added to a global index in August. The stock has moved higher and trades cheaper than its peers. There is positioning and...

Brian Freitas

Ryohin Keikaku (7453 JP): Global Index Inclusion Likely in August

Ryohin Keikaku's stock price has surged since NKY inclusion, and the increase in market cap should result in global index inclusion in August....

Brian Freitas

Global Markets WEEKLY Tactical Outlook: July 7 to July 11

Global markets may close the week down as US markets became very overbought and stocks started to pull back globally, while the Trump...

Nico Rosti

The Month Ahead: Key Events in August 2025

Three central banks (India, Australia, South Korea) decide on rates. Earnings season continues in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and India, and is...

Gaudenz Schneider

Toyota (7203 JP) Surges 14% — A Contrarian Option Strategy

​An opportunity emerges after volatility shifts to extreme levels. Find out how implied volatility reacted to the recent rally and explore a zero...

Gaudenz Schneider

Kawasaki Heavy (7012 JP): Cheaper than Peers with Index Inclusion Kicker

Kawasaki Heavy should be added to a global index in August. The stock has moved higher and trades cheaper than its peers. There is positioning and...

Brian Freitas

Ryohin Keikaku (7453 JP): Global Index Inclusion Likely in August

Ryohin Keikaku's stock price has surged since NKY inclusion, and the increase in market cap should result in global index inclusion in August....

Brian Freitas

Global Markets WEEKLY Tactical Outlook: July 7 to July 11

​Global markets may close the week down as US markets became very overbought and stocks started to pull back globally, while the Trump...

Nico Rosti

An opportunity emerges after volatility shifts to extreme levels. Find out how implied volatility reacted to the recent rally and explore a zero...

Global markets may close the week down as US markets became very overbought and stocks started to pull back globally, while the Trump...